Device, method, and system to separate liquid and particulate matter from the air stream of a centrifugal fan

ABSTRACT

A system for separating contaminants from an airstream, including a centrifugal fan and housing; a contaminant containment vessel mounted to an outer surface of the housing; and a diverter in the airstream downstream of the fan and within the housing, the diverter being configured to separate a portion of the airstream from a remainder of the airstream, accelerate the portion of the airstream towards the containment vessel, and thereafter guide the portion of the airstream towards the remainder of the airstream. The diverter preferably does not negatively impact the rated performance of the fan, such that a performance of the system is not measurably different than the rated performance of the fan and housing combination. The diverter may accelerate contaminants entrained in the airstream toward the containment vessel, thereby separating the contaminants from the airstream.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a non-provisional of, and claims priority benefit ofU.S. Application Ser. No. 61/342,247, filed Apr. 12, 2010, entitled“DEVICE TO SEPARATE LIQUID AND PARTICULATE FROM THE AIR STREAM IN ACENTRIFUGAL FAN”, which is incorporated herein by specific reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The inventions disclosed and taught herein relate generally tocentrifugal fans; and more specifically relate to centrifugal fans usedin cooling and other applications where entrained water and/or dust maybe undesirable.

2. Description of the Related Art

U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,511 discloses a “blower is comprised of asubstantially cylindrical housing having end walls and an arcuate wallforming a substantially cylindrical chamber. A discharge opening isformed in the arctuate wall and an intake opening is formed in at leastone of the end walls. A cylindrical fan rotor is rotatably mountedwithin the chamber for drawing air into the chamber through the intakeopening and for propelling it around the interior of the chamber andoutwardly through the discharge opening. There is a slot in the arcuatewall adjacent the discharge opening, and a skinning member protrudesradially inwardly adjacent the slot for directing a thin layer of airadjacent the arcuate wall of the chamber outwardly through the slot soas to remove dust particles adjacent the outer peripheral edge of thehousing wall.”

U.S. Pat. No. 3,953,183 discloses “apparatus for separating particlesfrom a gas flow is provided, comprising: is provided on the concave sideof each crest, the serrations winning A plurality of corrugatedseparator plates arranged in spaced parallel relation to each other anddefining wave-like flow channels between each other. The warped surfacesof the separator plates are generated in cross-section by at least threecircular arcs connected continuously and with alternating directions ofcurvature. The radius of each of the three circular arcs is different,the radius of the arc representing the crest being the smallest. Thearcs define at least one crest between two troughs, forming an intakesection and an outlet-section, respectively of each separator plate. Afirst separating chamber is provided opening towards the gas flow on theconvex side of the crest and is formed by a blade projecting from thedownstream side of the crest toward its upstream side and running alongthe crest. A plurality of serrations running along underneath the crestsarranged opposite to the separating chambers of the crest of theadjacent separator plate. The smaller radius of the second arc and theserrations together with the separating chamber provide a narrowing ofthe duct toward the crest to increase the speed of the fluid flow. Acollision occurs between the main upstream gas flow and a continuous gasflow recoil from the first separating chamber, causing a stationarymicro-turbulence in the vicinity of the serrations without a significantloss of energy and speed, whereby even the smallest particles areseparated by the serrations. Two additional separating chambers ofspecific cross-sections are provided strategically on the downstreampast the crest, each retaining material particles not caughtpreviously.”

U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,057 discloses “a blower having an exhaust fan whichdraws air through its intake opening from the face of the coal. Theblower is provided with a first stage of closely-arrangedsmall-diametered cylindrical-shaped individual centrifuges between itsintake opening and the exhaust fan in which the dust-laden air spins asair is drawn therethrough and concentrates the dust in an annularsurrounding portion which is separately drawn from the centrifugesthrough a conduit also evacuated by the exhaust fan. This conduitcontains a sharply-reversing bend which effectively separates anddischarges the dust into a collection chamber, e.g. a removable bin. Agrid disposed ahead of the first stage of individual centrifugesprevents large size particles from entering the centrifuges; and asecond stage of closely-arranged, similarly-operating individualcentrifuges located in the conduit closer to the exhaust fan remove“fines” which were not discharged to the collection chamber. The thuscleaned air exiting from the conduit is combined by the fan with thedust-freed air drawn from the core of the individual centrifuges and isdischarged to the mine return area.”

U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,051 discloses “an apparatus for the separation ofliquid drops or particulate solids from a gas stream comprising aplurality of parallel separator plates, a flow passage being formedbetween every two separator plates, each separator plate having at leastone wave crest disposed approximately in its center and two wave troughsdisposed at its edge on the inlet side and the outlet side,respectively, and forming an inlet section and an outlet section,respectively, as well as impingement-wall sections formed between thewave crest and the wave troughs, a main phase-separator chamber open ina direction counter to the direction of the gas flow being formedexternally on the wave crest. In accordance with the invention, highseparation efficiency with low pressure drop or low energy loss isobtained by providing an inlet nozzle formed in the inlet section, thegas stream being directable by means of the inlet nozzle onto the regionon the inlet side of the opposite impingement-wall section.”

U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,351 discloses a “centrifugal-type air blower for avehicle occupant compartment that operates in a housing and during adefrost mode to deliver heated air to defrost the vehicle's windshieldis provided with an automatic bleed-off valve arrangement thatautomatically exhausts from the blower housing to outside the vehicleany airborne particles such as snow and water centrifugally dischargedby the blower in the defrost mode when the outside air temperature fallsbelow a predetermined sub-freezing water temperature.”

U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,769 discloses a “system for ventilating a railtraction motor and for dynamically purifying the ventilation air, thesystem comprising a centrifugal fan (1) having radial blades (2)surrounded by a circular housing (3) and delivering air to the motor,and dynamic filter means on the path of the air delivered by the fan.The system includes a plane sheet (4) pierced by peripheral throughopenings (5) forming a diffusing screen and dividing the inside volumeof the circular housing into an upstream chamber (6) connected to theair inlet of the fan, and a downstream chamber (7) connected to itsoutlet leading to the motor, an exhaust outlet (8) for exhausting impureair, the exhaust outlet being in the form of a sector on the peripheryof the upstream chamber, and a separator element (9) disposed facing theopening and forming an obstacle to deflect air streams close to theblades of the fan towards a take-up section close to the exhaustopening.”

U.S. Pat. No. 6,648,935 discloses a “two stage extracting blower thatcleans liquid and solid contaminants from supply air, and provides highvelocity air for cooling equipment, personnel and/or structures. In afirst air cleaning stage, the blower uses air velocity and thecentrifugal force of a rotating impeller to separate heaviercontaminants entrained in a dirty air stream into a rear partitionedchamber of the blower housing. In a second air cleaning stage, theblower uses centrifugal forces imparted by the impeller on lightercontaminants to cause the contaminants to be collected in a skimmerprovided in the partially cleansed air stream prior to release of theair stream from the blower.”

U.S. Pat. No. 7,771,501 discloses a “blower having oil-mist blower isdisclosed. The blower is provided with tubing fitting on the windsuction opening connecting in series to an oil-collection box module.The position of the venting tube of the blower is connected tocyclone-separator. The oil-collection box module includes a box body,oil-collection seat body, filter and a cover plate. Thecyclone-separator includes manifold tubing, filtering aid and a topcover. When the blower is in operation, the oil-collection box modulesucks in oil-mist exhaust gas to proceed with first filtering of oilspot after that via the venting tubing into the cyclone-separator toproceed with a second filtering of oil spot.”

The inventions disclosed and taught herein are directed to an improveddevice, method, and system to separate liquid and particulate matterfrom an air stream of a centrifugal fan.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present inventions include a system for separating contaminants froman airstream, the system comprising: a centrifugal fan housing; acentrifugal fan disposed within the housing and configured to provide anairstream within the housing; a contaminant containment vessel mountedto an outer surface of the housing; and a diverter in the airstreamdownstream of the fan and within the housing, the diverter beingconfigured to separate a portion of the airstream from a remainder ofthe airstream, accelerate the portion of the airstream towards thecontainment vessel, and thereafter guide the portion of the airstreamtowards the remainder of the airstream. The diverter may be configuredso as to prevent any negative impact the rated performance of the fanand housing combination, such that a performance of the system is notmeasurably different than the rated performance of the fan and housingcombination. The diverter may accelerate contaminants entrained in theairstream toward the containment vessel, thereby separating thecontaminants from the airstream. The containment vessel and diverter maybe integrated as a removable housing adapter bolted to the housing.Alternatively, the housing adapter may be welded to the housing. Thesystem may further include a valve downstream of the diverter andcontainment vessel to selectively allow the airstream to force, andselectively prevent the airstream from forcing, contaminants entrainedin the airstream through and out of the containment vessel. The divertermay create a low pressure area within the containment vessel. Morespecifically, the diverter may accelerate and reduce a pressure of theportion of the airstream compared to the remainder of the airstream. Forexample, the diverter may be a complex curved airfoil and/or a platemounted within and across the housing that is configured to first divertthe portion of the airstream out of the housing and then guide theportion of the airstream back into the housing.

The present inventions also include a device for separating contaminantsfrom an airstream, the system comprising: two parallel flangesconfigured to be secured outside of a centrifugal fan housing; an outerflange connecting the two parallel flanges; a contaminant containmentvessel mounted to the outer flange; and a diverter spanning the parallelflanges, such that the diverter is configured to separate a portion ofan airstream flowing between the parallel flanges from a remainder ofthe airstream, accelerate the portion of the airstream towards thecontainment vessel, and thereafter guide the portion of the airstreamtowards the remainder of the airstream. The device may be similar to thehousing adapter, and/or components of the housing adapter, discussedabove.

The present inventions also include a method of separating contaminantsfrom an air stream, the method comprising the steps of: providing astandardized centrifugal fan housing, the housing having two sides andan outer wall connecting the sides; providing a centrifugal fan disposedwithin the housing such that the fan is operable to provide an airstreamat a rated performance when disposed within the housing absentdownstream restrictions; cutting a hole in the housing, the holespanning the outer wall and through both sides; mounting a housingadapter to the housing, the adapter including—a contaminant containmentvessel exterior to the housing; and a diverter spanning the sides, suchthat the diverter is configured to separate a portion of the airstreamflowing between the sides from a remainder of the airstream, acceleratethe portion of the airstream towards the containment vessel, andthereafter guide the portion of the airstream towards the remainder ofthe airstream. In preferred embodiments, mounting the diverter does notnegatively impact the rated performance of the fan within the housing,such that a performance of the airstream downstream of the diverter isnot measurably different than the rated performance of the fan withinthe housing. The method may include opening a valve downstream of thecontainment vessel to selectively allow the airstream to forcecontaminants entrained in the airstream through and out of thecontainment vessel. The method may also, or alternatively, include avalve downstream of the containment vessel to selectively prevent theairstream from forcing contaminants entrained in the airstream throughand out of the containment vessel, thereby trapping the contaminantswithin the containment vessel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a centrifugal fan assembly having aparticular embodiment of a diverter and containment vessel mountedthereto utilizing certain aspects of the present inventions; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a close up view of a particular embodiment of thediverter and containment vessel utilizing certain aspects of the presentinventions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Figures described above and the written description of specificstructures and functions below are not presented to limit the scope ofwhat Applicants have invented or the scope of the appended claims.Rather, the Figures and written description are provided to teach anyperson skilled in the art to make and use the inventions for whichpatent protection is sought. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat not all features of a commercial embodiment of the inventions aredescribed or shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons ofskill in this art will also appreciate that the development of an actualcommercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventionswill require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve thedeveloper's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Suchimplementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are notlimited to, compliance with system-related, business-related,government-related and other constraints, which may vary by specificimplementation, location and from time to time. While a developer'sefforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, suchefforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of skillin this art having benefit of this disclosure. It must be understoodthat the inventions disclosed and taught herein are susceptible tonumerous and various modifications and alternative forms. Lastly, theuse of a singular term, such as, but not limited to, “a,” is notintended as limiting of the number of items. Also, the use of relationalterms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,” “right,”“upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like are used in thewritten description for clarity in specific reference to the Figures andare not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the appendedclaims.

Applicants have created a system for separating contaminants from anairstream, the system comprising: a centrifugal fan housing; acentrifugal fan disposed within the housing and configured to provide anairstream within the housing; a contaminant containment vessel mountedto an outer surface of the housing; and a diverter in the airstreamdownstream of the fan and within the housing, the diverter beingconfigured to separate a portion of the airstream from a remainder ofthe airstream, accelerate the portion of the airstream towards thecontainment vessel, and thereafter guide the portion of the airstreamtowards the remainder of the airstream. The diverter may be configuredso as to prevent any negative impact the rated performance of the fanand housing combination, such that a performance of the system is notmeasurably different than the rated performance of the fan and housingcombination. The diverter may accelerate contaminants entrained in theairstream toward the containment vessel, thereby separating thecontaminants from the airstream. The containment vessel and diverter maybe integrated as a removable housing adapter bolted to the housing.Alternatively, the housing adapter may be welded to the housing. Thesystem may further include a valve downstream of the diverter andcontainment vessel to selectively allow the airstream to force, andselectively prevent the airstream from forcing, contaminants entrainedin the airstream through and out of the containment vessel. The divertermay create a low pressure area within the containment vessel. Morespecifically, the diverter may accelerate and reduce a pressure of theportion of the airstream compared to the remainder of the airstream. Forexample, the diverter may be a complex curved airfoil and/or a platemounted within and across the housing that is configured to first divertthe portion of the airstream out of the housing and then guide theportion of the airstream back into the housing.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a centrifugal fan assembly 10 having aparticular embodiment of a diverter 12 and containment vessel 14 mountedthereto utilizing certain aspects of the present inventions. Morespecifically, the centrifugal fan assembly 10 preferably includes amotor driven centrifugal fan 16 mounted within a centrifugal fan housing18. The fan 16 and housing 18 are preferably standardized centrifugalfan assemblies readily and commercially available, such as those fromIndustrial Air Products, Inc. In one particular embodiment, the fan 16and housing 18 may be size 165-58% (16.5 inch diameter with 58% wheelwidth), Type B, from Industrial Air Products, Inc. For example, in oneembodiment, the centrifugal fan assembly 10 provides a rated performanceof three thousand cubic feet per minute airstream, at eleven inches ofwater gauge static pressure, at a nominal 3,600 revolutions per minute,at 9.2 brake horse power, at 0.075 density, at seventy degreesFahrenheit, with a maximum design temperature of one hundred twentydegrees Fahrenheit. Of course, this is just one specific example of oneembodiment of the present invention. Other readily availablestandardized centrifugal fan assemblies may be used.

In one particular preferred embodiment, the housing 18 may beconstructed from ten gauge steel sides 20 and/or twelve gauge steelouter wall 22. In this particular preferred embodiment, exteriorsurfaces of the sides 20 may be approximately eleven and a half inchesapart.

The diverter 12 preferably spans between the sides 20 near the outerwall 22, in the airstream downstream of the fan 16 and within thehousing 18. This allows the diverter 12 to separate a portion of theairstream closest to the outer wall 22 from a remainder of theairstream. It can be appreciated the by action of the centrifugal fan16, the majority of contaminants travel through the housing 18 along theouter wall 22. Thus, the present invention only disturbs that portion ofthe airstream that is most likely to contain, and/or be most heavilyburdened with, the contaminants, such as water and/or dust or otherparticulate matter.

The diverter 12 preferably accelerates the portion of the airstreamtowards the containment vessel 14, and thereafter guides the portion ofthe airstream towards the remainder of the airstream. In this manner,none of the airstream is lost. Rather, the portion of the airstream ismerely diverted. Thus, the diverter does not negatively impact the ratedperformance of the fan assembly 10. In other words, the systemperformance is not measurably different than the rated performance ofthe fan assembly 10. As a result, the system performance, with thediverter 12 in the airstream downstream of the fan 16 and within thehousing 18, would remain three thousand cubic feet per minute airstream,at eleven inches of water gauge static pressure, at a nominal 3,600revolutions per minute, at 9.2 brake horse power, at 0.075 density, atseventy degrees Fahrenheit, with a maximum design temperature of onehundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit.

In a preferred embodiment, the diverter 12 is a complex curved airfoilthat creates a low pressure area within the containment vessel. Thediverter 12 may be a complex curved plate, shaped like an airfoil, ormay be a complete airfoil, with inner and outer sides, surfaces, and/orskins. More specifically, in one embodiment, the diverter 12 is acomplex curved plate made of twelve gauge steel.

In any case, the diverter 12 accelerates the portion of the airstreamtowards the containment vessel. In doing so, the diverter 12 may reducethe static pressure of that portion of the airstream compared to theremainder of the airstream. Because the diverter 12 accelerates theportion of the airstream towards the containment vessel, the diverteralso accelerate contaminants entrained in the airstream toward thecontainment vessel 14. As the portion of the airstream is guided backtowards the remainder of the airstream, the contaminants tend tocontinue towards the containment vessel 14 due to their greater mass. Inthis manner, the diverter 12 separates the contaminants from theairstream.

The system of the present invention may including a valve 28 downstreamof the diverter 12 and containment vessel 14. The valve 28 mayselectively allow the airstream to force, and/or selectively prevent theairstream from forcing, contaminants entrained in the airstream throughand out of the containment vessel 14. For example, the valve 28 maynormally be kept closed, thereby forcing all of the portion of theairstream that is guided towards the containment vessel to rejoin theremainder of the airstream. In this manner, no loss of performance ismeasureable, with or without the diverter 12 in place within the housing18. Then, as needed, or periodically, the valve 28 may be opened therebyallowing portion of the airstream to force the contaminants out of thecontainment vessel 14. If the valve is closed before all of thecontaminants are forced out of the containment vessel 14, little or noneof the airstream should escape, thereby incurring no measurable loss ofperformance.

In any case, one contributing factor to the present invention's abilityto obtain contaminant separation with no measurable loss of performanceis that the housing 18 maintains its integrity, i.e. stays intact. Thecontainment vessel 14 is secured over, thereby sealing, the hole cutinto the housing to accommodate the diverter 12. Thus, there is no bleedoff of the airstream, and therefore no measurable loss of performance.Another benefit of the present invention is that at least partiallybecause there is no bleed off of the airstream there is no noise leak.In this manner, the present invention does not increase the noiseemitted from the standardized centrifugal fan assembly 10.

Alternatively, the valve 28 may be left open thereby allowing theportion of the airstream to substantially continually force thecontaminants out of the containment vessel 14. However, this wouldlikely incur some loss of performance. A pressure and/or flow controldevice may be used to control flow of the contaminants out of thecontainment vessel 14, thereby preventing the portion of the airstreamfrom passing through the valve 28, thereby incurring no measurable lossof performance. For example, a device, such as a steam trap, may be usedto allow the contaminants to exit the valve 28, or another port in thecontainment vessel 14, while preventing the airstream from doing so,thereby automatically draining the containment vessel 14 while incurringno measurable loss of performance. In alternative embodiments, the valve28 may be replaced with a removable plug and/or a pipe nipple withremovable cap.

In some embodiments, the diverter 12 itself may extend outside of thehousing 18 and/or may be configured to divert the portion of theairstream out of the housing and then guide the portion of the airstreamback into the housing. For example, on one embodiment, a middle portionof the diverter 12 may extend beyond the housing 18 by approximately oneeighth inch. Alternatively, the diverter 12 and/or the portion of theairstream, or some lesser part thereof, may not exit the housing at all,but merely be accelerated toward the containment vessel 14.

In preferred embodiments, as best shown in FIG. 2, the diverter 12 andthe containment vessel 14 are configured as a housing adapter 24. Thehousing adapter 24 is preferably removable and therefore bolted to thehousing 18 with a plurality of bolts 26. Alternatively, the housingadapter 24 may be welded to the housing 18.

In any case, the housing adapter 24 may include two parallel flanges 30configured to be secured outside of the fan housing 18 and an outerflange 32 connecting the two parallel flanges 30. The contaminant vessel14 is preferably mounted outside of the outer flange 32. The diverter 12preferably spans the parallel flanges 30.

The housing adapter 24 may be installed onto virtually any readily andcommercially available standardized centrifugal fan assembly 10. First,one needs to cut a hole in the housing 18, spanning the outer wall 22and through both sides 20. Then, the housing adapter 24 may be mountedthe housing 18 by sliding the diverter 12 into position within the hole.It can be appreciated that the hole needs to be as big as the diverter12, but may be bigger. In one specific embodiment, where the diverter 12is approximately six inches tall, the hole may be six and a half inchestall, spanning from side 20 to side 20 of the housing 18.

The housing adapter 24 may include an opening between the diverter 12and the containment vessel 14, as needed, to control the flow of theairstream and/or contaminants into the containment vessel 14. In onespecific embodiment, the opening may be three and nine sixteenths inchestall, spanning from side 20 to side 20 of the housing 18.

The housing adapter 24 may also include a sight glass to determine alevel of contaminants in the containment vessel 14. This sight glass maybe useful in determining when, how frequently, and/or how long to openthe valve 28 to drain the contaminants in the containment vessel 14,while incurring no measurable loss of performance. The sight glass maybe a traditional externally mounted sight glass, such as those typicallyfound on pressure vessels commonly holding liquids and/or gases.Alternatively, because the contaminants may include particulate matterand the static pressure within the containment vessel 14 is not expectedto be too great, the sight glass may be a clear or opaque window in oneor both of the two parallel flanges 30 and/or sides of the containmentvessel 14. For example, one or both of the sides of the containmentvessel 14 may include a substantially vertical cut-out, with a clearacrylic cover bolted or otherwise mounted to cover the cut-out. Inpreferred embodiments, the cover is mounted within the containmentvessel 14 such that any pressure within the containment vessel 14 simplypushes the cover against the containment vessel 14, thereby enhancing aseal between the cover and the containment vessel 14.

In a preferred embodiment, the diverter 12 is fixed within the housingadapter 24 and/or housing 18. However, in alternative embodiments, themay be an adjustable assembly that allows field adjustment of thediverter 12 within the fan housing 18. This would allow for optimumfield adjustments on multiple fan assemblies with different airflows.The adjustment of the diverter 12 assembly could be made using spacers,such as or gaskets, between the fan housing 18 and the housing adapter24. For example, the diverter 12 could be set back one half inch greaterthan expected into the fan housing 18 without spacers. But, with one ormore spacers added, the diverter 12 could be brought to one eighth inchbeyond the fan housing 18, as discussed above, or more.

Additionally, or alternatively, an angle of the diverter 12 may beadjustable. For example, in a preferred embodiment, both ends of thediverter 12 are approximately one inch within the outer wall 22 of thehousing 18, thereby slicing off an outer one inch of the airstream.However, an upper end of the diverter 12 may be further within thehousing 18 that a lower end of the diverter 12. This configuration mayscoop more of the airstream, or the diverter 12 may be set further out,thereby still slicing off about an inch or less of the airstream. Itwill be appreciated that changing the angle of the diverter 12, suchthat the ends of the diverter 12 are not equidistant from the outer wall22 of the housing 18 would likely change the cross sectional area thatthe portion of the airstream passes through upon exiting and thenreentering the housing 18. Upon reading this disclosure, one withordinary skill in the art would understand that the cross sectional areathat the portion of the airstream passes through upon reentering thehousing 18 may be less than the cross sectional area that the portion ofthe airstream passes through upon exiting the housing 18, sincecontaminants entrained in the airstream upon exiting the housing 18preferably do not reenter the housing 18.

Additionally, or alternatively, the angle of the diverter 12 may beadjustable in order to control the acceleration of the portion of theairstream toward the containment vessel 14. Additionally, oralternatively, the angle of the diverter 12 may be adjustable in orderto control the change in pressure of the portion of the airstream withinthe containment vessel 14 with respect to the remainder of the airstreamwithin the housing 18.

Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of theinventions described above can be devised without departing from thespirit of Applicant's invention. For example, more than one diverterand/or containment vessel may be used. For example, one containmentvessel may have two openings adjacent two diverters, with the divertersarranged in series with the airstream. Further, the various methods andembodiments of the present invention can be included in combination witheach other to produce variations of the disclosed methods andembodiments. Discussion of singular elements can include plural elementsand vice-versa.

The order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences unless otherwisespecifically limited. The various steps described herein can be combinedwith other steps, interlineated with the stated steps, and/or split intomultiple steps. Similarly, elements have been described functionally andcan be embodied as separate components or can be combined intocomponents having multiple functions.

The inventions have been described in the context of preferred and otherembodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has beendescribed. Obvious modifications and alterations to the describedembodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thedisclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit orrestrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by theApplicants, but rather, in conformity with the patent laws, Applicantsintend to fully protect all such modifications and improvements thatcome within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims.

1. A system for separating contaminants from an airstream, the systemcomprising: a centrifugal fan housing; a centrifugal fan disposed withinthe housing and configured to provide an airstream within the housing,the fan being operable to provide a rated performance when disposedwithin the housing absent downstream restrictions; a contaminantcontainment vessel mounted to an outer surface of the housing; and adiverter in the airstream downstream of the fan and within the housing,the diverter being configured to separate a portion of the airstreamfrom a remainder of the airstream, accelerate the portion of theairstream towards the containment vessel, and thereafter guide theportion of the airstream towards the remainder of the airstream.
 2. Thesystem as set forth in claim 1, wherein the diverter is configured tonot negatively impact the rated performance of the fan within thehousing, such that a performance of the system is not measurablydifferent than the rated performance of the fan within the housing. 3.The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the diverter is furtherconfigured to accelerate contaminants entrained in the airstream towardthe containment vessel, thereby separating the contaminants from theairstream.
 4. The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein thecontainment vessel and diverter are configured as a removable housingadapter bolted to the housing.
 5. The system as set forth in claim 1,wherein the containment vessel and diverter are configured as a housingadapter welded to the housing.
 6. The system as set forth in claim 1,further including a valve downstream of the diverter and containmentvessel, the valve configured to selectively allow the airstream toforce, and selectively prevent the airstream from forcing, contaminantsentrained in the airstream through and out of the containment vessel. 7.The system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the diverter is configuredto create a low pressure area within the containment vessel.
 8. Thesystem as set forth in claim 1, wherein the diverter is configured toaccelerate and reduce a pressure of the portion of the airstreamcompared to the remainder of the airstream.
 9. The system as set forthin claim 1, wherein the diverter is a complex curved airfoil.
 10. Thesystem as set forth in claim 1, wherein the diverter is a plate mountedwithin and across the housing that is configured to first divert theportion of the airstream out of the housing and then guide the portionof the airstream back into the housing.
 11. A device for separatingcontaminants from an airstream, the system comprising: two parallelflanges configured to be secured outside of a centrifugal fan housing;an outer flange connecting the two parallel flanges; a contaminantcontainment vessel mounted to the outer flange; and a diverter spanningthe parallel flanges, such that the diverter is configured to separate aportion of an airstream flowing between the parallel flanges from aremainder of the airstream, accelerate the portion of the airstreamtowards the containment vessel, and thereafter guide the portion of theairstream towards the remainder of the airstream.
 12. The device as setforth in claim 11, wherein the diverter is further configured toaccelerate contaminants entrained in the airstream toward thecontainment vessel, thereby separating the contaminants from theairstream.
 13. The device as set forth in claim 11, further including avalve downstream of the diverter and containment vessel, the valveconfigured to selectively allow the airstream to force, and selectivelyprevent the airstream from forcing, contaminants entrained in theairstream through and out of the containment vessel.
 14. The device asset forth in claim 11, wherein the diverter is configured to create alow pressure area within the containment vessel.
 15. The device as setforth in claim 11, wherein the diverter is configured to accelerate andreduce a pressure of the portion of the airstream compared to theremainder of the airstream.
 16. The device as set forth in claim 11,wherein the diverter is a complex curved airfoil.
 17. A method ofseparating contaminants from an air stream, the method comprising thesteps of: providing a standardized centrifugal fan housing, the housinghaving two sides and an outer wall connecting the sides; providing acentrifugal fan disposed within the housing such that the fan isoperable to provide an airstream at a rated performance when disposedwithin the housing absent downstream restrictions; cutting a hole in thehousing, the hole spanning the outer wall and through both sides;mounting a housing adapter to the housing, the adapter including—acontaminant containment vessel exterior to the housing; and a diverterspanning the sides, such that the diverter is configured to separate aportion of the airstream flowing between the sides from a remainder ofthe airstream, accelerate the portion of the airstream towards thecontainment vessel, and thereafter guide the portion of the airstreamtowards the remainder of the airstream.
 18. The method as set forth inclaim 17, wherein mounting the diverter does not negatively impact therated performance of the fan within the housing, such that a performanceof the airstream downstream of the diverter is not measurably differentthan the rated performance of the fan within the housing.
 19. The methodas set forth in claim 17, further including the step of opening a valvedownstream of the containment vessel to selectively allow the airstreamto force contaminants entrained in the airstream through and out of thecontainment vessel.
 20. The method as set forth in claim 17, furtherincluding the step of closing a valve downstream of the containmentvessel to selectively prevent the airstream from forcing contaminantsentrained in the airstream through and out of the containment vessel,thereby trapping the contaminants within the containment vessel.